The Princess looked up at him. There was a fresh gash on her cheek that dripped blood. Instead of the gratifying tears Lorit expected, she only laughed.
"The spell that connects us goes deeper than you think. You hurt me, you hurt her," she said.
She reached up to the bloody gash on her cheek, caressing it gently. She looked at the blood on her finger and turned it towards Lorit. "This is her blood," she said. "Still want to kill me?" With that, she licked the blood from her finger and smiled.
Sulrad sat behind his ornate desk reading the report from one of his staff. A cadre of under priests kept constant vigil on those who might prove troublesome to him. Earlier today, they'd brought him news about Lorit and the Princess.
It wasn't good.
A knock sounded at the door. "Come!" he said without looking up.
He heard the door creak open and then closed. It was followed by the sound of light footsteps as his guest crossed the polished marble floor. He recognized the visitor by the aura of his magic. It was the traitor.
"So you have failed?" he asked, without lifting his eyes.
"Lorit saw through the web we placed on the Princess. He's headed back to castle Veldwaite to try to pick up the trail of his Sorceress."
"Will he find it?" This time Sulrad looked up at the man, piercing him with his gaze.
"I don't know. I've tried to cover their tracks. I disposed of several servants who assisted in their departure, but did not dare to eliminate too many. There is always the possibility that someone is left who could provide a clue to her movements."
"Good, you're cautiously optimistic," Sulrad said. He liked that, but he still disliked the traitor.
"I couldn't have anticipated that Lorit would be able to pierce the illusion so quickly. The power you provided me was insufficient."
"We have had this discussion before. There is only so much power we can allocate to your task. I expect one such as you to be able to command enough personal power to assure that these spells are done correctly."
"This Lorit is much more powerful than I expected. Where will you get the power to kill him?"
Sulrad was not about to discuss where he planned to get power, nor to debate this with the traitor. "Soon, I may have a new source of power that could aid us. Until then, please keep to your side of the bargain. You have a plan, do you not?"
"I do."
"Then carry it out." Sulrad looked back down at his reports. "That's all."
Sulrad listened for the door to close, signaling that he was alone once again. He pondered what he was going to do about Lorit. He could keep sending agents and underlings against him, but he realized that one day the two of them would have to meet face to face and determine who was the more powerful Wizard.
Sulrad smiled at the thought. He had a perfect score in his Wizardly battles, as was evidenced by the fact that he was at the top of the Temple hierarchy and remained alive.
Lorit returned to Veldwaite Castle the following evening, with the Prince and Princess in tow. Their ride was swift, with Lorit leading the way despite his previous unease. He drove the horses hard as they pounded up the road to the gates. He saw the watch fires spring to life along the walls as the sun set and darkness overtook their path.
The gate guards saw them coming and opened the gates, standing aside as they passed. People scattered from their path as they rode hard right up to the doors of the keep. Lorit jumped from his horse and ran for Chihon's room. He slammed opened the door with a resounding thud to find the room clean and empty, without a trace of Chihon.
He searched the room for clues to her whereabouts. He pulled back the heavy drapes with his staff and heard a muffled gasp. He yanked the drapes open to reveal a young girl of about ten summers. She stood there exposed, looking up at Lorit with fear on her face. She was dressed in the style of the local peasants, but she was clean, indicating that she was a member of the castle staff.
"What are you doing hiding there?" Lorit asked softly. The girl appeared afraid of something more than being found hiding behind the curtains. He wanted to reassure her, hoping that she was a witness to what had befallen Chihon.
"Please don't hurt me, Sire," she said. "I didn't do anything."
Lorit lowered his staff and reached out his hand. "Come on out of there. I'm not going to hurt you." He led her to the bed and helped her sit. He pulled up a chair and sat down facing the girl.
"What's your name?"
"I ... I'm Endred, Sire." She grasped one of her braids and pulled it across her face as she spoke.
"Endred, my name is Lorit," he said calmly. "It's nice to meet you. Are you the regular maid in this room?"
"No, Sire. I'm just in training. My aunt is the regular maid."
"Where is your aunt?"
"I don't know." Endred tugged her braid. Her eyes watered and she looked down at her feet. "They took her away."
"Who took her away?"
"The guards took her away. We were cleaning the room when they came. I hid behind the curtain when they knocked on the door. I do that 'cause I'm not supposed to be here.
"I heard them take her away." The girl sniffed back tears. "She told them that she hadn't seen anything, but they just dragged her off. I was afraid, so I stayed hidden."
Lorit rose from his chair and moved over to sit next to the girl. He put his arm around her and held her close. Her body shook with sobs and she kicked her heels against the bed. Lorit could feel her heart race. "It's alright, you're safe now. Do you know the woman who stayed in this room? Her name is Chihon, and she's a friend of mine."
"Yes." She kicked her heels against the bed as she spoke. "She's pretty."
There was a thud as the door swung wide. Lorit looked up to see the fake Chihon standing there. "Where is my maid?"
The girl cringed and drew herself tight. She peered up at Lorit in fear.
"Don't worry. I won't let her hurt you."
Lorit stood up and walked over to the Princess. He grasped the door and started to shut her out of the room. "Please, let me talk to her in peace."
"I am the Princess," she insisted. "You can't treat me like..." all he heard after that was muffled shouting of the Princess through the heavy door.
"Was that Chihon?" Lorit asked Endred.
"No. That woman looked like her, but it isn't her. Your friend was nice."
Lorit laughed. "No. That's not Chihon, and she's not nice."
Lorit sat down on the bed next to the girl once again. He gently pulled her braid away from her face so he could see her clearly. He held her hands in his. "Endred, did you see anything that could tell me what happened to Chihon?"
The girl trembled but remained silent. Lorit could feel her hands shaking.
"It's all right," he assured her. "I'll protect you from the bad woman. Why don't you tell me what happened?"
"I was asleep when I heard them come in. It sounded like Chihon was sick because I heard another woman say she was going to take care of her."
"Where were you?" Lorit asked. He felt her calm down as she explained.
"I sleep over there with my aunt. Endred pointed to a short doorway that led to the servant's quarters. I looked through the knothole in the door when I heard them.
"What did you see?"
"It was a woman. I see her around sometimes. I think her name is Tass."
"Go on," Lorit said, encouraging her. "What did she do?"
"She did magic." Endred pulled her hand free of Lorit's and reached for her braid, pulling it in front of her face once again as her legs kicked the mattress.
"You're doing fine, Endred. What did she do that was magic?"
"She had a staff that she waved over Chihon. She kept doing it, and I could see the sparkles of the magic working. She said some funny words that I didn't understand. I don't know what it was all about, but when she was done, Chihon got up and packed all her things, and then they left."
The girl tugged at her braid, sticking the end of it into her mouth as she continued. "She looked like she was still asleep. She moved sort of slow and didn't talk; she just packed up and left."
The girl reached beneath the pillow and pulled out an ornate comb.
"She left this behind." Endred handed it to him.
Lorit recognized it as one Chihon had bought in a bazaar one day. He took it and placed it in his pack. "Did the woman ... Tass ...Did she go with Chihon?"
"Yes. She was there all along, telling her what to do."
"This was after the feast?"
"Yes, Sire, after the feast. It was the middle of the night when they left."
"Do you live in the Castle?" Lorit asked her.
"Yes, mostly."
"Do you have a family?" At the mention of her family, the girl sobbed again. Lorit held her until she calmed down. If she had no family, he would have to find a safe place for her.
"Just me and my ma," she said sniffling. "We live in a cottage near the forest."
"You've been very helpful." Lorit reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of silvers. He pressed them into the girl's hand. "These are for you and your ma. Take them to her and stay with her. You don't need to come back here, do you?"
"No, Sire. With this, I can stay with my ma. This is more than my aunt makes in a season." She looked up at Lorit. "Will you find my aunt?"
"I'll try," Lorit said. "But you better get on home to your ma, first thing in the morning. You've given me a place to start looking for Chihon."
Lorit stood up to leave, but Endred grabbed his sleeve. "Wait, you should check the stables. I heard the guard say they were going to get their horses."
"Which guard?" Lorit sat back down next he girl.
"His name is Bain. He usually works in the stables, but when there are guests, he guards that door. He's nice. He always brings me treats. He says he has a little girl almost my age at home."
"Thanks you, Endred," Lorit said. "Please run home as fast as you can once it gets light. And don't talk to anyone about this, not even your ma."
When Lorit reached the stables, there was no sign of Bain. He should have been back on stable duty, but there was only a guard named Naeck there.
"Do you know Bain?" Lorit asked.
"I usually stand guard duty with him. We work the evenings from sundown to dawn."
"When did you last see him?"
"He's been standing duty in the castle. He hasn't been down here for three, maybe four days."
"When was the last time you saw him?" Lorit asked.
"A few days ago, but his wife said he hasn't been home since the other night. She sent a boy here to check on him. She's mighty worried."
"A maid in the castle told me that he was coming down here to get horses. That was the night of the feast. Did you see him?"
"No, I haven't seen him since he was called up to the castle for guard duty. I never know how long he'll be gone when that happens."
"He didn't show up here to get horses?"
"No, I haven't seen him."
"Did you see a young lady and an old woman here, late, the night of the feast?"
Naeck lowered his eyes, and kicked at the dirt with his foot. "I was asleep."
"You were asleep? Do you always sleep when you are supposed to be standing your watch?"
"No, I fell asleep that night. I don't know what came over me. I was standing guard, when the next thing I knew, I was laying on the ground fast asleep. When I woke up, I headed back into the stables to check on everything, to see if anything was wrong."
"Was there anything else unusual about that night?"
"Well ... There was something. A couple of horses went missing. I figured they'd been stolen while I slept, so I didn't report them."
The guard eyed Lorit sheepishly and then quickly lowered his eyes. "I could get in a lot of trouble for something like that." He gave Lorit a plaintive look. "Please don't report me. I have a wife, and two kids myself. They wouldn't fare too well without their pa."
"I'm not interested in your falling asleep. I think my friend was taken captive that night and she may have come through here. The maid said she heard them say something about horses."
Naeck avoided Lorit's questioning stare. "They might have. Maybe that's where the missing horses went."
Lorit reached his senses out to examine the guard. He could feel magic around the man. He probed further and found a glimmer of violet deep in the guard's head. He gently reached out with his power and touched it. The guard stiffened and then relaxed. He fell to the ground fast asleep.
Lorit tried to wake him, but Naeck was fast asleep. Whatever he'd touched, it was connected to the guard's memories. He probed it gently until he found what he wanted. There, in the guard's memories, was a conversation he'd had. It was an old woman talking to him.
"We need these horses to take us to Relynn," the old woman had said.
"You need to arrange this ahead of time with the livery. I can't just hand over these horses to anyone who asks. They're the property of the King."
"I am the Princess' maid," she said. "The Princess has authorized this journey. You would do well to hearken to my words. You know the Princess, don't you?"
"Yes, I know the Princess," Naeck said.
"Well, she wants me to take this girl to Relynn as quickly as possible."
The conversation continued for a while before Naeck relented and gave them the horses. He helped them saddle and provision their horses and wished them a safe trip to Relynn.
Lorit sensed that there was something else, something deeper that the Guard was hiding. He probed forcefully for it, hoping to open up deeper memories. He wanted to know if the guard knew what route they had taken or when they planned to arrive at Relynn. They had a two day head start. If he could find out more, maybe he could head them off.
There was something the guard was hiding. Lorit probed for it. He sensed a stronger spell surrounding some memories more closely than others. The violet haze around the man's mind started to yield. He was almost there when Naeck gave out a sharp scream. He stiffened and fell silent, then went still. His chest moved twice, slowed down, and stopped. Lorit could feel the life force leave the guard as the violet fog dissipated.